Miles: 12.5 Steps: 31,154 Elevation Gain: 3,091 feet Faith In Humanity: Picture a general store/restaurant targeted at thru hikers where everything is free! Thank you a million times to all of the folks who put that on! Unreal, seriously! So the best part of the day was actually when it was slightly drizzling as I climbed up a ridge of a scenic/ trees bare of leaves typical Georgia mountain. I got just overwhelmed with emotion. I shed a couple tears of joy and it felt amazing! Yes, this is what I’m meant to do. It’s nice to be overwhelmed by happiness once in a while. One of those truly impossible things to describe, but extremely reassuring. I love it out here! Yes Yes Yes! I hope everyone gets to experience this overwhelming emotion. Not something I feel all the time at all but I’m always happy when I do! Such a big reason for coming out here. A close second was the absurdly ridiculously great Trail magic! I’m going to list a lot of food right now because it was so awesome: All you can eat burgers, hot dogs, with onions, tomatoes, lettuce, , brownies, Swedish fish, avocados, brownies, assorted chocolates, veggies, deviled eggs, so many cookies.Im leaning tons out! Then the Hiker supplies: so much. Knee braces, multiple varieties of gloves, toiletries, sunscreen, safety pins, q tips, insoles, candy, drink mix, instant potatoes, bars, chips, chap stick, sooooo much! Insane! Unbelievable. And they’re encouraging us continuously to eat as much as I possibly can and to take as many things with me as possible. Incredible! Possibly more incredible? I was chatting with Pepperoni, and she mentioned she had been on the PCT in 2009, the same year I had done a 450 mile section from Mexico to Hiker Heaven when I stayed for 8 days or so attempting to recover from a foot injury (I was forced off trail...). Anyway, she thru rode her horse that year from Mexico to Canada.(incredible achievement, way more challenging than hiking). At Hiker heaven her horse was there! She alternated between two different horses so I met one of them, I remember that. What a crazy coincidence! Pepperoni was a joy to talk to and we hit it off! I made sure to get a photo of us together. Awesome! Challenging hiking today: the reason I love the AT oh so very much! Up or down, no flat. Quite steep in many parts too. I love it! Mostly short 200-600 foot vertical climbs. Lots of people at the shelter and camping above. I’m the only person tenting near the shelter which is quite shocking to me. Has a picnic table and closer to the water and bathroom. So many characters out here. Quite a skilled woodsman at the shelter, making an enormous fire, playing flute and mandolin. All sorts of impressive knowledge! Met so many other nice people tonight too! Impossible to list them all! I gave someone else a Trail name: cap cap. There’s a picture of a hat on his hat. I gave some of the good I took from the trail magic and gave it to 4 people who missed it because they were too early...